I thank brother Edmac for his contribution to figuring out this quandry. I'm currently in email contact with Br. Lemuel from St. Raggedundie's Abbey in North-Westphalia in Germany. He purports to have a missal (from Paderborn) with the first written form of making of a rodent bishop on 2nd February, from the early 10th century. This investure happened during Lauds on that day, prior to the Candlemass ceremonies at Mass. If this missal does indeed exist, it would prove to debunk the myth of the Bobaki and cast off the shadow of St. Minimaximos, that Br. Lemuel says has been hanging over the Abbey since the 17th century visit of an anonymous Eastern hieromonk, and to rout out heresy and paganism from underneath the church. I am hoping to get facsimile copies of these pages sent to me and have been requested to send them off to certain liturgical experts in both Eastern and Western studies in Rome as well. Br. Lemuel says that this text is well guarded in a sub-terranean chamber in the cloister of the abbey and is only brought out briefly one morning each year, though will not tell me which it is. Please stay tuned.

Did any Old Calendar parishes keep this rite this morning??? Pictures would be much appreciated!

John K: interesting development. I do not think, however, thatwe will find the two traditions to be related. The distancein time and space is great, for one thing. On the other, recallthat the 10th Century was a BAD time for the Church, Germany,and people in general, at least in the West.The terms "bishop"and "rodent" might easily become associated in people's minds,especially if the people were the subjects of a Prince-Bishop,numerous in Germany.Why,the same association has even been madein later centuries! (I am thinking of course of most of theEnglish bishops under Henry VIII and of the likes of Talleyrand).Now, as you undoubtedly know from your perusal of VonSchmeckenmacher's History of Monasticism in NorthernWestphalia and Western Saxony 731 - 1212ADSt. Raggeduddie'sAbbey's monks on just awful terms with Bishops of Muenster, Osnabruck, Cologne and occasionally Utrecht during the wholeof the Tenth and Eleventh Centuries due to those prelates forcing their sons, brothers, uncles and cousinson the monks as their abbots and subsequently seizing upon the entire stock of very strong beer produced by the monks,leaving nothing for the good brothers. It would tick anyone off!(Innocent III solved the problem by making the place anAbbey of Papal Beer-Right, and taking only 10% of their beer.This is probably why the monks stayed Catholic at the Reformation, especially when they heard that Martin Luther likedhis beer). Anyhow, I can easily imagine the monks inauguratingthis ceremony of making a rodent-bishop in scorn and mockeryof their oppressors.

Living not far from the famed groundhog, we have a saying here in central PA. If it's reported taht we have six more weeks of winter, we say, "Let's eat the rat!"

BOB

But then, won't you be violating the fast?

Some foods (and I use the term with reservations) are penitential by nature.

Also considering that the use of "fake foods" such as soy burgers and non-dairy creamer is considered cheating, perhaps taking advantage of the fast to abstain from a dubious delicacy such as ripe rodent might be considered too joyous an occasion for Great Lent.

While snooping around a church’s archive near Punxsutawney PA, I found this from a page that was ripped out of the menaion for February 2nd. In view that it is the feast day tomorrow, I am reprinting the missing page.

Quote

February 2/15Troparion of the Holy Ground Hog Basil - Tone 4

O holy ground hog, Basil,Thou didst commence thy slumber after the feast of the Nativity.And now on the fortieth day,Thou doth awaken to predict for us the coming of spring.For if thou wilt see thy shadowThen thou wilt renew thy slumber for six more weeks.But if the skies doth be full of gray or rain,Thou wilt stay awake for the whole of the Fast;And we will see an early spring.

At the Matins Service during the procession of the Great Doxology the ground hog, Basil, is carried around the church thrice, while the faithful sing this holy hymn. The service should be conducted so that "Glory to Thee Who hast shown us the light!" is announced precisely at sunrise, and the procession finisheth shortly thereafter in the out of doors under the sky.

Two questions:

Can we hold a vesperal liturgy the night before (of Presanctified Gifts) ?

Well--if you're on the OS calendar, it's not Lent for you yet, so there is no need to celebrate the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, either Great Vespers or the Vigil should be done. And, since it is a Great Feast, a potluck after the Vespers or Vigil would most definitely be in order!

Edmac--I did consult my VonSchmeckenmacher's, however I am missing pages 78-143 dealing with the great beer revolts. Photo-copies of yours would be greatly appreciated. What is your take on the visit of the mysterious hieromonk from the East to St. Raggedundie's in the 17th century? Do you have more on the life of St. Minimaximos? I'm trying to stay focused, but something smells of cross-pollenation of rites here! The committee in Rome is getting itchy for evidence! Br. Lemuel must be to church and bed by now, for it's 9:15 in Germany.

John: alas, no! My copy of VonSchmeckenmacher was lent to theSubprior of St. Pantagruel's Abbey in Duluth who needs it forhis magnum opus, Beer in the History of Western Christianityand who is worse than usual at returning books. His nameis Fr. Obsurantissimus Heiligenkreutz-Murphy-O'Connor OSB if you care to write to him. Try writing in Old High German if possible, or failing that, Middle Low German. Avoid General In-Between German, as it is lost on him. In case you were wondering,he is a second cousin once removed of the Archbishop of Westminster, and on the other side, 17th in line for the positionof Holy Roman Emperor, should that dignity be restored. He humblydenies that he has any claim to be the Real High King of Ireland.That claim belongs to his nephew Liam, a bartender on W. 45th St. in Manhattan.

As for the mysterious hiero-monk, I strongly suspect that itwas Minimaximos himself who was a great wanderer. After seeinghis beloved Bobaki safely and warmly settled in the Crimea, heis said to have wandered off in a northwesterly direction muttering about needing a drink. (It was not the time of theGreat Fast, of course). A few months walking could easily havebrought him to St. Raggedundie's which, thanks to Innocent III,had plenty of beer on hand. It was strong beer, mind you! Verystrong beer.

I need not tell you that the greatest of saints are still sinners. I fear, I very much fear, that after a few pints ofSt. Raggedundie's Reserve with, perhaps, the cellerer, or maybethe precentor, or maybe both, Minimaximos heard the story oftheir rodent-bishop and became envious. Here was a holy rodentmany centuries older than his, and belonging to these Westernschismatics! Not to be borne! Everything in the East is older,better and more Orthodox than anything the West (except, ofcourse, the beer, he admitted that). I think Minimaxie (for short) made up a tale that took the Holy Rodent of the Bobaki back to the times of Cyril and Methodios, Apostles of the Slavs, with himself as the renewer of the tradition. I think it is this that has niggled at the minds of the holy brothers of St. Raggedundie's ever since. They were not sophisticated men, thatmonastery being known for beer, not learning, and St. Minimaxi was obviously very holy, since he levitated even when sober. He also glowed in the dark, but this could have been because of theuranium long after discovered in large quantities in the valleysformerly inhabited by the Bobaki, but the monks were not to know this.

The only other source for the life of St. Minimaximos is a late18th Century biography written by Fr. Vanya Ilarionovich McGillicuddy (a convert), parish priest of the Bobaki in thetime of Catherine the Great, and based on the stories told byhis oldest parishioners. There is a copy in the Patriachal Library in Moscow, another in the Vatican, and a third inthe public library of Alice Springs, Australia. Be warned thatit is written in a mixture (as far an anyone can tell) ofvery bad Russian, very bad Ukrainian and so-so Munster Irish.Those dudes in Rome are just having to go bide their time.(The only person I know of who could possibly translate itwould be Mitred Archmandrite Serge Keleher of Dublin).

I wonder if you have heard of the miracle of the revivificationof St. Minimaximos. It happened in the time of the Boshies, in1920. A party of the heathen dogs came to St. Minimaximos' Churchin Crimea, the only one dedicated to him in the whole world,and tried to dig up his remains, buried in the altar. Theysucceeded, and found the remains to be incorrupt, although smelling somewhat of beer. Buried with him was his trusty iron-shod walking stick. While the boobies were gaping, St. Minimaxie opens his eyes, jumps to his feet, and startslaying about him vigorously with his walking stick meanwhile singing the troparia of the day in a voice more than human.When he had floored the lot, he gave a whistle, and the churchwas suddenly full of sirokiwho mercilessly bit the kommunistiwhere-ever they could have them. It is reportedthat seventeen of the malefactors thereafter died of rabies, while three, who fled the country, became monks. No unbelieverhas dared to come near the place ever since. The affair being over, St. Minimaxie laid down in his grave and the faithful beasts reburied him and there he remains to this day.

Do try to get access to the missing pages of VonSchmeckenmacher. The beer wars were very dramatic.Just think of the heroic defense of the Brewery by the Bd. Thombongorus of Bubenheim, twonovices and a passing hostler against twenty fourmen-at-arms belonging to the insatiable Bishopof Osnabruck in the year 993. The four heros died,but not before they had slaughtered the men-at-arms.I am happy to report that when the Emperor Otto Iheard of it, he had the bishop drowned in a barrel ofbeer. Cheap beer.Edmac

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